That was a good example for the Corporate Democrats' strategy to retain power.

In August, the small-but-powerful remnant of big-money moderation in the Democratic Party, shaken but not stirred by Hillary Clinton’s defeat in 2016, officially declared war on the party’s left-leaning rank-and-file. Rising from the ashes of the defunct Democratic Leadership Council, the “centrist” movement that took over the Democratic Party after its three straight presidential defeats in the 1980s—and erased the last vestiges of New Deal liberalism from American political discourse in the name of winning elections—came a “new” effort called New Democracy, touted as a vehicle for “rethinking” the party’s message after its history-making loss to Donald Trump. But this grand reassessment, led by DLC co-founder Will Marshall and his K Street band of brothers, was merely a reassertion of the wealth-first economics, go-slow social progressivism, and hawkish foreign policy peddled by white Democratic power-brokers and Clintonian neoliberals for three decades now.
...the old organs of the Washington establishment still take these people seriously, and otherwise intelligent Democrats still have a strange Pavlovian response to the dire warnings they issue, like clockwork, every four years: Embracing liberalism will always and forever end in defeat

This mantra - that a sudden shift to the left will end in doom - has many examples, but it's best on display here.

Are Democrats Headed for a McGovern Redux?
As Trump continues his Nixonian campaign of white cultural-grievance politics, Democrats appear consumed by the same squabbles that destroyed them in 1972.

There are some parallels between 1972 and today, but then so is any and every election.
Still this same tired metaphor was used against Jesse Jackson in 1988, Howard Dean in 2004, Barack Obama in 2008, and Sanders in 2016.
Just like every 3rd party candidate is Nader in 2000.

The goal of these disinformation campaigns has always been the same: to frighten the left into falling in line with the moneyed masters of the party. And at a moment when the party is finally abandoning the New Democratic formula—suck up to big business and the military-industrial complex, pander to white supremacy, and win!—fear-mongering is the only thin reed of hope the “moderates” have to retain their supremacy in the party.

Just ignore the fact that Third-Way Dems consistently lose.

The old New Democrats know perfectly well that the chances of Trump winning reelection in 2020 are approximately as good as the Democratic nomination going to Kanye West, with Kim Kardashian as his running mate. They know there’s no valid analogy to be drawn between Nixon and Trump, or between McGovern and the leading lights of the contemporary left, or between 1972 and the likely political climate of 2020. That’s why they’re scare-mongering again—because they are scared. Not of the depredations of the Trump presidency so much as the near-certainty that the next Democratic nominee will run on single-payer health care, progressive taxation, queer rights and abortion rights, and an anti-imperialist foreign policy. And they know the next Democratic nominee will almost certainly be the next president—and will chase them out of the party leadership once and for all.
The only thing that can prevent the Democratic left from ascending to power in 2020 is paying heed to the myth of McGovernism.

Another spin is that Democratic voters are becoming "extreme" in their leftist values. This was on display with the recent Pew study.
Every article about this survey shows that liberals are as extreme as conservatives.
On some issues, like immigration and race, Democrats are far outside of historical norms. Coincidently, these are also identity politics issues.

However, on the question of should the government doing more to help the needy, it's not a "both sides do it" question. It's Republicans that are the extremists.
Also, ironically, Pew released this survey the very next day, but it got mostly ignored.

Politico sure can write some B.S. When McGovern ran, the issue was the Vietnam war. Politico needs to read this article to get its head straight. The title is "Why Bernie Sanders is not George McGovern". One tidbit:

The rampant economic inequality in the US economy right now looks A LOT like it did in back 1928, at the peak of the "roaring '20s," and right before the Great Depression led voters to rally behind an unabashed progressive champion named Franklin Delano Roosevelt to reboot the US economy.
In 1972, on the other hand, the top 1% in the US earned a smaller percentage of the nation's income than during almost any other time in the 20th century.
But thanks 35 years of Reaganomics and "free trade," older people today are just as buried in debt and as frustrated as young people are, unlike in 1972.

@karl pearson
first was simply (!) a bed edge missed. Second was more complex and I banged my head...again. No blood this time. And a little egg swelling. I have mismatched side tables at my bed. They should be switched. And I have a weird taste from my upper palate, pre-split, but not there.

And I was head-preparing an essay about my difficulties. For y'all.

That essay will get written, eventually. There were a few more in my head. All arrested now by head bangs. Maybe now that I have confessed I can sleep again. I missed that action/inaction for three days, still recovering. I think by now I have seen all the overnight hours tick by.

Politico sure can write some B.S. When McGovern ran, the issue was the Vietnam war. Politico needs to read this article to get its head straight. The title is "Why Bernie Sanders is not George McGovern". One tidbit:

The rampant economic inequality in the US economy right now looks A LOT like it did in back 1928, at the peak of the "roaring '20s," and right before the Great Depression led voters to rally behind an unabashed progressive champion named Franklin Delano Roosevelt to reboot the US economy.
In 1972, on the other hand, the top 1% in the US earned a smaller percentage of the nation's income than during almost any other time in the 20th century.
But thanks 35 years of Reaganomics and "free trade," older people today are just as buried in debt and as frustrated as young people are, unlike in 1972.

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8 users have voted.

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Hey! my dear friends or soon-to-be's, JtC could use the donations to keep this site functioning for those of us who can still see the life preserver or flotsam in the water.

@riverlover
It's great that you can post this, but how long ago did you start?

#2 first was simply (!) a bed edge missed. Second was more complex and I banged my head...again. No blood this time. And a little egg swelling. I have mismatched side tables at my bed. They should be switched. And I have a weird taste from my upper palate, pre-split, but not there.

And I was head-preparing an essay about my difficulties. For y'all.

That essay will get written, eventually. There were a few more in my head. All arrested now by head bangs. Maybe now that I have confessed I can sleep again. I missed that action/inaction for three days, still recovering. I think by now I have seen all the overnight hours tick by.

#2 first was simply (!) a bed edge missed. Second was more complex and I banged my head...again. No blood this time. And a little egg swelling. I have mismatched side tables at my bed. They should be switched. And I have a weird taste from my upper palate, pre-split, but not there.

And I was head-preparing an essay about my difficulties. For y'all.

That essay will get written, eventually. There were a few more in my head. All arrested now by head bangs. Maybe now that I have confessed I can sleep again. I missed that action/inaction for three days, still recovering. I think by now I have seen all the overnight hours tick by.

Is there anything any of us can do for you or do you have friends or family near bye?mid love to help if I'm able, so please let me know if I can.

#2 first was simply (!) a bed edge missed. Second was more complex and I banged my head...again. No blood this time. And a little egg swelling. I have mismatched side tables at my bed. They should be switched. And I have a weird taste from my upper palate, pre-split, but not there.

And I was head-preparing an essay about my difficulties. For y'all.

That essay will get written, eventually. There were a few more in my head. All arrested now by head bangs. Maybe now that I have confessed I can sleep again. I missed that action/inaction for three days, still recovering. I think by now I have seen all the overnight hours tick by.

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7 users have voted.

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You know you’re a peasant when you worship the very people who are right now, this minute, conning you and giving you shit. Whatever the master does, you’re on board. Doh!

@snoopydawg
My computer is three floors below me when I trudge the stairs to bed. I cannot even hear FB dings. I have made another post earlier this AM. I get tired, but have multiple things going on that prevent sleep. Heck, since my husband died 7+ years ago, and children's births 30+ y/a my sleep is always light.

@karl pearson
thank you, Karl. The 1972 election is different enough from today to be virtually irrelevant.
This irrational fear needs extinguished .

Politico sure can write some B.S. When McGovern ran, the issue was the Vietnam war. Politico needs to read this article to get its head straight. The title is "Why Bernie Sanders is not George McGovern". One tidbit:

The rampant economic inequality in the US economy right now looks A LOT like it did in back 1928, at the peak of the "roaring '20s," and right before the Great Depression led voters to rally behind an unabashed progressive champion named Franklin Delano Roosevelt to reboot the US economy.
In 1972, on the other hand, the top 1% in the US earned a smaller percentage of the nation's income than during almost any other time in the 20th century.
But thanks 35 years of Reaganomics and "free trade," older people today are just as buried in debt and as frustrated as young people are, unlike in 1972.

of their medical care, it's the damn insurance companies. Before the ACA did away with preexisting conditios, people paid their insurance premiums for up to decades and then when they got a serious health problem, insurance companies scrolled through their history and if they had pimples, but didn't tell them that, they would say that they wouldn't pay for their treatment. This is insurance companies interfering with patient's health care.

As for Bernie saying that if government can't negotiate with pharmaceutical companies for prices that we should take over them. Why not? The taxpayers with government's help, funds many of the researches they do. This is the same principle of our taxes paying our military to invade countries to make it safe so that corporations can steal their resources. Then we have to buy those products from those corporations and they make all the money.

Cassidy has forgotten the first rule that doctors swear to..."first do no harm."

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21 users have voted.

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You know you’re a peasant when you worship the very people who are right now, this minute, conning you and giving you shit. Whatever the master does, you’re on board. Doh!

better and we’ve had to learn the hard way, by watching those who we were supposed to be able to trust cheat, lie, and disenfranchise us while pointing their fingers and demanding our money and our support. They are corrupt and crazy.

But things are changing:

Yes, my guard stood hard when abstract threats too noble to neglect
Deceived me into thinking I had something to protect
Good and bad, I define these terms quite clear, no doubt, somehow
Ah, but I was so much older then I'm younger than that now

better and we’ve had to learn the hard way, by watching those who we were supposed to be able to trust cheat, lie, and disenfranchise us while pointing their fingers and demanding our money and our support. They are corrupt and crazy.

But things are changing:

Yes, my guard stood hard when abstract threats too noble to neglect
Deceived me into thinking I had something to protect
Good and bad, I define these terms quite clear, no doubt, somehow
Ah, but I was so much older then I'm younger than that now

I went down to the fortune lady, see how my future lay.
She took a look in her magic mirror,said- Son, you could be dead today.
Your eye is crossed,and the "T" has been dotted. You're backward as a boy can be.
I don't want your money, just go out that door. You'd better stay away from me.

-Look out, lady. Was there something I did?
Why do you berate me? Can't you see I'm a kid who knows no better.

etc. bob dylan . no, no.

better and we’ve had to learn the hard way, by watching those who we were supposed to be able to trust cheat, lie, and disenfranchise us while pointing their fingers and demanding our money and our support. They are corrupt and crazy.

But things are changing:

Yes, my guard stood hard when abstract threats too noble to neglect
Deceived me into thinking I had something to protect
Good and bad, I define these terms quite clear, no doubt, somehow
Ah, but I was so much older then I'm younger than that now

I went down to the fortune lady, see how my future lay.
She took a look in her magic mirror,said- Son, you could be dead today.
Your eye is crossed,and the "T" has been dotted. You're backward as a boy can be.
I don't want your money, just go out that door. You'd better stay away from me.

-Look out, lady. Was there something I did?
Why do you berate me? Can't you see I'm a kid who knows no better.

I always had a feeling the RNC faxed out talking points to every republican think tank and elected official for the unified message of the day. I thought we on the left didn't have that, but after the last election and what you wrote above I can see where TOP gets it's marching orders from.

but after the last election and what you wrote above I can see where TOP gets it's marching orders from.

Daily Kos isn't "we on the left". It's full-blown Third Way GOP Lite. Just like their oh-so-beloved Hillary Clinton.

And you're right about where DK gets its marching orders from.

I always had a feeling the RNC faxed out talking points to every republican think tank and elected official for the unified message of the day. I thought we on the left didn't have that, but after the last election and what you wrote above I can see where TOP gets it's marching orders from.

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13 users have voted.

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"Some members of the government are now investigating opioid pain killers but they are investigating the wrong thing. Despair-masking drugs are not the problem. Despair is."
-- featheredsprite

@thanatokephaloides
If someone new lands on TOP, they may think the site to be liberal to very progressive. But the public face is very deceiving as to how they actually act as political funding and endorsement organization.

But even the front page content breaks down after awhile. A lot of the diaries are following themes of Clinton's campaign, and current upgrades. The Russian conspiracy basically never leaves the front page and the other diaries are "outrage signalling" at the bad things Trump is up to. I cant't remember much in the way of single payer support or focus. Nor do elected democrats get much in the way of critique when for example, most voted for Trump's defense spending bill. Booker got some grief over his vote on drug importation, but then many followed up with defenses of him.

Their funding as far as I can tell right now goes toward moderate/establishment democrats rather than progressives.

But given the rabid support for Clinton on the site, we are not looking at progressives. In fact, dismissing any issues of cheating during the primaries, one would conclude that given Hillary's victories, the base of the democratic party is gop-lite. Although on TOP there was a concerted effort to rebrand Hillary and Kaine as progressives.

the next Democratic nominee will run on single-payer health care, progressive taxation, queer rights and abortion rights, and an anti-imperialist foreign policy. And they know the next Democratic nominee will almost certainly be the next president—and will chase them out of the party leadership once and for all.

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11 users have voted.

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"Some members of the government are now investigating opioid pain killers but they are investigating the wrong thing. Despair-masking drugs are not the problem. Despair is."
-- featheredsprite